The family television and a purse were taken, but the woman's kids were safe.

"I thank the God, I thank the God because I'm safe and the kids are safe," Ahok Moyen said.

The 30-year-old mother of five woke up Thursday morning and noticed a man walking past her bedroom. She said she called out, but he didn't answer.

According to police, the burglar crawled into the house through an unlocked window. A dirty outline of a footprint was still visible on a kitchen chair.

"She absolutely did the right thing. She heard a noise, she gathered her children, she stayed secure in her bedroom," Sgt. Brian O'Keefe said. "Once she thought the intruder was gone, it was only then that she went downstairs and called the police department."

Officers said the 32-inch television had been stripped from its stand, and outside they found a pair of pants believed to have been used by the burglar to carry the television.

"At first I thought it was my mom downstairs," said Moyen's daughter Arek Dowang. "I heard cabinets opening and closing, and I heard footsteps and then I heard a door opening."

The incident made for a frightening night for the refugee from South Sudan, and a lesson that won't soon be forgotten.

"When window is locked -- and door -- I will not be afraid, but if (the) window is unlocked I (will) be scared," Moyen said.